Ever wonder how everyone seems to have perfect Instagram feeds? Their photos are exactly in focus, their hashtags result in hundreds of likes, and they have filters and effects you can’t find in the Instagram app.

The truth is, if you’re using only the Instagram app to post your photos, you’re missing out on most of the features that everyone else is using. There are hundreds of third-party Instagram apps out there — and some are definitely better than others. The sheer number of options makes it hard to know which apps to download!

That’s why we’ve collected ten of our favorite apps for Instagram here. Using this collection of apps (or even just a handful of them), you can edit, analyze, schedule, hashtag, and repost like an Instagram pro. Before long, you’ll have a personal or professional Instagram feed that’s successful and envied by all.

If you’re unsure about how your Instagram profile measures up, this app should be your first stop. Once you grant it permission to access your account, the app quickly analyzes your posts and pulls together a “report card,” grading you on factors like engagement rate, post frequency, hashtags, and followers.

Command is free with some paid features, but you may also choose to use an established, paid platform like Iconosquare for analytics (especially if you run a business Instagram account).

However, for all-purpose edits (whether landscapes or selfies) it’s hard to find a better free app than Google’s Snapseed. The filters and tools offer a wide variety of functions, and the app is intuitive to use for photographers of all levels.

Your posts’ timing matter less than it used to thanks to Instagram’s new algorithmic feed. But it can still be helpful to plan out your posts over a set period of time — especially if you coordinate posts across platforms.

Over is a longtime favorite for creating Instagram graphics with text overlays. It’s especially helpful for advertising, but also cute for personal announcements or sharing quotes! Android users can try Pixlr for similar features.

Thankfully, there’s a free app for this too. Squaready adds white space around your photos so they can maintain your perfect crop while filling out the square format Instagram requires. This app is especially helpful for Instagram’s new slideshow feature that still requires a square crop!

Unlike purely automated apps, this approach ensures that the hashtags are relevant, but also helps you expand your photos’ reach. Focalmark is free with some in-app purchases. iOS users may also be interested in TagsDock, which offers similar features in the form of a custom keyboard.

It’s generally considered poor online etiquette to share someone else’s photo without crediting them. While screenshotting and cropping a photo may seem easier, it’s not ideal.

The Repost app is almost as easy, and ensures that the original photographer gets credit for their work through a tag in your description. In a few simple steps you can share any other user’s photo to your profile page.

Many Instagram users are frustrated by the platform’s insistence that only one link can be shared at a time — and only in the bio. For bloggers, vloggers, and online retailers, this is one of Instagram’s biggest limitations.

Link in Profile is the perfect work around to this problem. The link in your profile takes readers to a page that shows link preview content; all of this is done automatically, so you spend no extra time trying to come up with workarounds. Link in Profile is a paid service, but there is a 14-day free trial that takes under a minute to set up (no credit card details required).

Even if you have no desire to be #Instafamous or to gain followers outside of people you know in real life, chances are at least one of these apps will help you to create the images and feed that you want!

Do you use any apps regularly that I didn’t mention in this article? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

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Ole-Kristian Sunnarvik

July 21, 2017 at 7:28 am

Hi.

For reposting from Instagram, I recommend to try Picstagrab. It has a broad set of features that are very handy when reposting. As I am the developer of Picstagrab, I am of course biased, but in my opinion Picstagrab is the best and most complete reposting tool available

To mention a few features:

Captions: Include captions in your repost. Easily tag the original owner of the post by the click of a button.

Caption templates: If you are for instance running an Instagram hub, you will probably most of the time repost pictures with a given caption where you insert the username of the post into the caption. Picstagrab has made this process really quick and easy by allowing you to define a caption template which you can insert by the click of a button.

Duplication search: You may automatically or manually trigger a search through tineye and google image search in order to check if the pic you are about to repost may be “stolen” or not.

Watermarks: You may add watermarks to the picture you are reposting

Drafts: You may prepare a repost and save it locally in order to post it later.

Search: You may search for users and tags directly from within the app.

Instagram share-url: You may repost from the share-url copied from Instagram (no login required for using share-url)

Favorites: You may mark users, tags or individual pictures/videos as favourites for quick access.

Briallyn is an occupational therapist working with clients to integrate technology into their everyday lives to assist with physical and psychological conditions. After work? She's probably procrastinating on social media or troubleshooting her family's computer problems.